Southern California native, Swag, began his art at the age of 13 and managed
to release an album by the age of 19 through Sony Records titled "The
Afterparty" in 1999. Unfortunately, the time leading up to his triumphs
were not as simple for Swag as he lived a difficult life enveloped by
violence, drugs, and the death of his mother.

Initially living in South Central and later moving to West Covina, Swag
became engulfed in the glorified gang life in the late 80s and by the early
90s, he was absorbed in a violent life unable to turn back. Without his
mother, Swag was solely on his own, fending for himself amidst a life of
turmoil. Faced with the realities of jail time, he embraced his love for
hip hop and mastered the art of rhyming while locked up as it was the one
thing that kept him sane. Deserting his previous life for a newfound image,
Swag made moves to the Pacific Northwest, where his relatives resided, in
search of a new persona.

As the passion for his artistry grew, Swag managed to land performances in
Seattle and Portland, but felt as though his exposure was minimal in
comparison to back in California. With the help of friend and producer
Khrys Hollywood, Swag was able to land a deal with Warner Music Group thus
releasing his album "The Blueprint of a Hustler."

It's quite apparent that Swag attempts to win over females in many of his
tracks. Swag even manages to get help from Jon B, the soulful vocalist
popularized by his 90s R&B tracks, with both his production skills and
singing skills on "Do You Mind." Most of us haven't heard Jon B in quite
awhile, but it's apparent that he still retains his skills as a singer and
adds the needed flavor to Swag's rather frank lyrics. The relaxed beat
maintains a classic sound as the task at hand of staring at a certain female
is revisited.

"Tonight" features vocalist Tiffany Wilson who adds her suggestive lyrics of
"tease me tonight" to Swag's rather clear-cut sexual lyrics. "All to You"
featuring Hollywood is yet another track that does not shy away from the
sexual antics of Swag as he clearly expresses his desire for his lady while
explicitly describing the act in progress. "Chone, Chone" completes the
whole picture, if you can imagine, as Swag shows that "yeah ma, you can
shake your chone, chone." Not one of my favorites as the lyricism is
somewhat amateur and typical, but this one's pretty self-explanatory if you
know what I mean.

A sampled Musiq's "Halfcrazy" is featured in "La, La, La, La" as it plays on
its well recognized hook. Hollywood adds his own production and rap
elements to this favorite as he includes his own approach with an Asian
influence and more twang. However, it's not love for a woman that Swag raps
about, but instead, he speaks of his love for more recreational things such
as drugs and drinking as he boasts that "we off that la, la, la, la."

Throughout "The Blueprint of a Hustler," Swag reaffirms his success as he
chimes into his struggle to get to this point regardless of the obstacles in
his way. Trumpet-like sounds commence "From Nothin' to Somethin'" as Swag
shows how he has made a name for himself despite the death of his mother and
constant hustling as he says:

"I come from Top Ramen, Kool-Aid, and jail spreads
Public housing, and hood rats that give head
Puffing on some stress weed 'til my throat hurt
And then I'm back on the block because I gotta work
Oh yeah I did the dirt and I done did some time
But check my street cred
Homie, you can't blemish mine
My mom died so I'm her only son that can shine
So if you see me in the streets out there getting mine"

"I Don't Care" shows how Swag disregards criticism from others while "You
Ain't Met Real" packs an appealing, echoing beat that once again shows how
few things affect him as he tries to come up in the rap game as he shows
that "everything that I earned came from the streets."

"The Blueprint of a Hustler" provides a story of exactly that-the life and
times of a legitimate hustler. Swag provides a glimpse into his difficult
life and translates them into his tracks, many of which were written while
locked up. He attempts to show the real deal as a hustler while having to
face many struggles in order to reach this stage in his career. Although
the album at times lacks in originality and is focused too much on certain
subject matter, Swag is the real deal and lives to tell about his life while
exposing his true self.